Train-order-holding device



(No Model.) I

-.. G. J. QUAY.

TRAIN ORDER HOLDING DEVICE. I

. Patented Feb- I 7 7%? 556s, v 1 7206712?! I 3 l' NITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

CARPENTER J. QUAY, OF MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRAIN-ORDER-HOLDING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 576,691, dated February 9, 1897.

Application filed October 1, 1895. $erial No. 607,609. (No model.)

To (I/ZZ whom, it lit/1.7 cancel-11,:

Be it known that I, CARPENTER J. Q AY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Meadville,in the county of Crawford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsiu Train-Order-Holdin g Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention contemplates the provision of a device adapted to hold train-orders, messages, and articles of various kinds, and also adapted, when held in close proximity to a railway-track, to be conveniently caught by the engineer or conductor or by a device on the locomotive or one of the cars of a moving train, thus enabling the engineer and conductor to receive their orders or other articles without the annoyance and loss of time incident to making a stop.

With the foregoing ends in view the invention will be fully 'un derstood from the following description and claims, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is an elevation illustrating my improved message-holdin g device held in a support at the side of a railway-track, together with a locomotive provided with a device for catching the message-holding device as the locomotive passes the support. Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation, with parts in section illustrating a portion of the support and the message-holding device removably held thereby. Fig. 3 is a section taken in the plane indicated by the line 'y y of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a detail section taken in the plane indicated by the line 00 0c of Fig. 2.

In the said drawings similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the several views, referring to which A indicates the rails of a railway-track. B indicates a locomotive thereon.

0 indicates a device on the locomotive for catching and holding the message-holding device, which device 0 may be a lateralarm with a forwardly extending branch at its outer end, as shown in Fig. 1.

D indicates a post arranged at the side of the railway-track in close proximity thereto and having the arm E extending toward said track and provided at its free end with the horizontally-disposed bifurcation a, which is preferably tapered toward its inner end, as shown, and F indicates my improved message-holding device. This device F is preferably made of wood on account of the lightness of such material, although it may be made of any other suitable material, and in making it a strip of Wood of suitable length, width, and thickness is bent so as to form the hoop G, with one end extended, as indicated by H, to form a convenient hand-grasp for a person holding the device, or a shank designed to be placed in the bifurcation a of the arm E, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The strip of material, when properly bent to form the hoop G, will retain such shape, especially when one end portion is placed in a notch 12, formed in the other end portion, as better shown in Fig. 8, and it is therefore not essential that the said end portions should be connected where they cross each other. It is obvious, however, that when desired such end portions may be connected where they cross by arivet or other suitable device.

The bifurcation a in the arm E of the post D is preferably tapered toward its inner end, as above described, and the extended portion H of the hoop G is preferably tapered in a corresponding manner, so as to permit of said extended portion H being forced into the bifurcationa in a wedge-like manner and held therein by frictional contact.

The hoop G may be provided with any suitable device to hold orders, messages, or articles to be taken aboard a moving train. I prefer, however, to provide such hoop with the resilient or spring strip of material I, which is connected at one end to the hoop and is designed to clamp messages, train-orders, and other articles against the hoop, as illustrated. I also prefer to arrange such strip I in an inclosure J, suitably attached to the hoop, as shown, so as to protect the messages or other articles to be taken aboard a train from the elements.

In using my improved device F a person may hold it by the handle or shank H in close proximity to a railway track, so as to enable other articles against the same, substantially the engineman or the conductor of a moving train to pass his arm through the loop G and therebycateh the device. I prefer, however, to place the shank or handle II of the device in the bifurcation a of the arm E on the sup port D, as shown, and to depend upon the device 0 on the locomotive to take through the loop G and thereby catch and hold the device F, with the messages or other articles which it carries. \Vhen the device F is caught upon the device C, the engineman may conveniently draw the said device F into the cab and remove the train-orders, messages, or other articles from it.

The devices F taken upon moving trains may be returned to the stations whence they came and may be thrown from the trains while the same are moving without being injured, and may be gathered up by the open ator at such stations for subsequent use.

It will be readily appreciated from the foregoing that my improvements are very cheap and simple, and with the same messages, train-orders, and other articles may be placed upon a passing train without the necessity of the same stopping or slowing up, which is an important advantage.

llaving described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The device described for placing messages and articles upon moving trains comprising a hoop and a spring connected to the hoop and adapted to clamp messages and,

as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The device described for placing messages and articles upon moving trains comprising a strip of material bent into hoop shape and having one of its end portions extended so as to form a handle or shank and also having a notch b, in such end portion receiving its other end portion, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The device described for placing messages and articles upon moving trains comprising a hoop having a handle or shank, an inclosure connected to the hoop and a device arranged within. the inclosure and adapted to clamp and hold messages and other articles, substantially as specified.

4. In an apparatus for placing messages and articles upon moving trains, the combination of a support having the horizontally- 5 disposed bifurcation at one end said bifurcation being tapered toward its inner end, and a hoop having a handle or shank tapered toward its free end and adapted to be placed in, said bifurcation of the support; said hoop being adapted to carry messages and other articles and being also adapted to be caught and held by a device on a moving train, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereofl affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

(,1. J. QUAY.

Witnesses:

S. D. MIMMIN, 0. FAIRCHILD. 

